Blue Pencil
by MugenDemon
Summary: Naruto works as a book editor at Messrs. Uchiha & Sons, Ltd. However, between his two perverted bosses and the antics of his writers, he barely can find time to breathe, let alone actually pursue a personal life. [ZOMG! Please review! :P]
1. Chapter 1

**Part I**

Naruto awoke to the gloomy, chilly, damp late October morning, cursing that it was a Monday no less….and then cursing himself slightly for having stayed up so late at the pub with a couple of his co-workers, whom he was friends with outside of work. He glanced over at his alarm clock and cursed it as well.

After a couple more minutes of vague cursing, he finally threw aside the comforter and got up out of his bed. He stretched and yawned and ambled into the bathroom of the small flat he was letting in Shepherd's Market, near Mayfair. He turned the water on in the shower while he relieved himself, letting his boxers fall to the floor and leaving them there to step into the scalding shower. He grabbed his shampoo and began singing at the top of his voice as he lathered up his hair:

"The story of my life," he sang, mostly to annoy his neighbor, who was a crabby, old, nosy lady, "I take her home; I drive all night to keep her warm; And time…is froooooooozen!"

He finally lowered his voice as he stuck his head under the spray of water. "The story of my life…" he trailed off.

###

Coming out of his building onto the street, Naruto looked very handsome in his new charcoal grey suit and his hair was neatly combed and his shoes shown from a good polishing. He walked the short distance to the Green Park tube station and took the train to Hammersmith, where he worked. Or at least he attempted to accomplish work while he was there. It was an unusual office, to say the least.

He had been employed by Messrs. Uchiha & Sons, Ltd. for nearly a year. The company was a major publisher and had been founded nearly a century before by the current sons' grandfather, making them the third generation to lead the company. They were brothers named Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha. The sons' father was (mostly) retired now but still occasionally showed up to create a stir and annoy his sons.

Naruto had been hired as a senior book editor and at the time he was unsure of how this had exactly happened since he had just graduated from university only a few months before. During his interview with the younger son, Sasuke, though, his trousers had uncomfortably crept up and he had, when he thought Sasuke hadn't been looking, adjusted himself. For some reason, though, the interview had ended soon after that with Naruto's immediate hiring.

He had chalked it up to luck…or something, but later made the connection of his adjusting his trousers and his hirnig when his new boss moved his office from the mid-level floors of the Uchiha Building to the top floor, which until that point, had only been occupied by family executives and their secretaries. With this move came frequent requests for his presence in the younger Uchiha's office, which often ended with Naruto fending off said Uchiha lest his honor be lost somewhere in the struggle. The top floor consisted of three executive offices with private bathrooms, a large boardroom, two smaller conference rooms, a kitchenette, a lounge, and bathrooms.

Over time, he came to realize that the elder Uchiha was only slightly less peculiar than his younger brother and often, the only thing that held Naruto's sanity together was the brothers' executive secretary, Hinata. Her large mahogany desk was parked outside of Sasuke's office door and she had a direct view into Naruto's office. She would often give him subtle support from afar when he would flee from one of the brothers' offices. Sometimes her support was not as subtle and she would spend time listening to him vent and he, in turn, did the same for her.

He walked through the revolving door of the office building and made his way to the lifts that were located at the far wall, past the huge, semi-circular desk where four receptionists sat. He waved to them as he went past and then took the lift up to the forty-sixth floor. He wandered out of the lift, waved to Hinata, who was busily typing away on her laptop. She looked up and smiled, then waved.

Inside his office, Naruto hung up his raincoat in the closet, sat down at his desk and switched on his laptop to begin checking his emails. He scanned through them deleting the ones which didn't concern him and then getting to work reading and replying to the rest.

One in particular annoyed him the most. It was from one of Uchiha & Sons top writers, Kakashi Hatake. Even though he wrote what was considered 'pulp' novels, they were wildly popular and he more than earned his enormous salary of advances. However, as a result of knowing how much he was worth, he often remained vague as to when he would turn in new material even though Naruto repeatedly gave him deadlines. These were either frequently rescheduled or just outright ignored, causing Naruto much stress, even though his bosses didn't seem phased too much by it.

He quickly replied back to the email that was requesting an extension of the current deadline for new material by the end of the fortnight: **NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! You were supposed to have that material to me over three weeks ago. N.**

A minute later Naruto's office telephone rang. He picked up the line seeing it was Hinata calling.

"Mr. Sasuke would like to see you in his office," she said. "I'm sure right away…"

"All right, what's his mood today?"

"Squirrelly, as usual," Hinata replied with a giggle.

"Great….I guess I'll get my exercise then," he laughed and hung up.

Hinata was still giggling when he walked out past her desk. He knocked on Sasuke's door and entered.

"Ah! Naruto, come in, please." Sasuke said, motioning him to sit in one of the two chairs that were in front of his desk.

Sasuke's office was the second largest in the entire building. It was on a corner so two walls were windows and the other two had built-in bookcases which were filled with first editions of books published by the company, most of them signed. Sasuke's desk was a huge, carved French writing desk and two carved arm chairs of the same wood sat in front of the desk on a Persian carpet that was woven with blues, creams, and greens. On the other side of the office, there was a full bar and a sofa and overstuffed chairs. A coffee table was in the middle of this arrangement of furniture and a small end table between the two chairs. Large ferns spilled out of polished brass basins from where they were placed on marble column pedestals.

Sasuke was sitting at the desk with his chin resting on his folded hands. He had a morbid look on his face. His Abyssinian cat, who accompanied him to work every day, was cleaning himself in one of the two chairs in front of the desk so Naruto sat in the other one, waiting for Sasuke to speak.

"Was there something you wanted?" Naruto asked after waiting in silence for ten minutes.

Sasuke glanced over at him, a look on his face as if he were just noticing Naruto was in the room.

"Oh, Naruto, thank you for joining me. You know how I adore your company," he said with a perverse gleam in his jet black eyes.

"Now, Mr. Uchiha, let's keep it professional…"

"Please, how many times do I have to ask you to call me Sasuke? Really, you'd think you were trying to get a bad review. Your year anniversary is coming, isn't it?"

"Ok…..Sasuke," Naruto said. "What is it that has you so deep in thought today?"

"Oh, it's Itachi," Sasuke said with a sigh, leaning back in his chair. "You know how he's latched on to this social media thing and has asked me to lead it….I've been thinking on what we can do, and I think I've come up with something. I'd like to run it past you.

"Sure, let me hear what you have in mind," Naruto said, feeling relieved that the meeting may actually have a purpose.

"Well, take a look at Furuba there," Sasuke said, gesturing to the cat, who continued to clean himself with abandon. "Isn't he a dear, sweet creature? He has charm and personality, wouldn't you agree?"

"Ummm, sure, he's a great cat," Naruto said.

"Well, I'm thinking of making him the 'social media face' of the company…you know, like Lagerfeld's cat, Choupette? Seriously, what does Choupette have that Furuba doesn't?"

Naruto groaned inwardly before answering.

"Five iPads, a private jet, and millions of followers on Twitter?" Naruto answered.

"That's it!" Sasuke exclaimed, coming alive from his frump. He grabbed up his office telephone and pushed the speed-dial button to his brother and then turned the speaker on.

"Yes, Sasuke?" Itahchi said upon answering.

"Are any of the company jets available this week?" Sasuke asked.

"Well…" Itachi thought a moment. "U1 is taking father on holiday to Cap Ferrat tomorrow, U2 is out of the country with the marketing team, but U3 is available, why?"

"I need to send Furuba someplace so I can detail it on Twitter and Instagram and whatever other ghastly self-promotion site you want me to…"

"Request denied," Itachi said and was about to hang up.

"It was Naruto's idea!" Sasuke said in desperation.

"Really? Hmmmm," Itachi thought a moment. "All right, let's do it. I'll put through the reservation and approve it."

"Thanks," Sasuke said and hung up.

"Sasuke!" Naruto said. "Why'd you tell him it was my idea? This is your project….and if something goes horribly wrong, I don't really want to be connected with it…"

"Oh, Naruto," Sasuke said. "Don't be so naive. One must do what one must, and you know Itachi adores you nearly as much as I do…"

Naruto laughed nervously.

"Well, I guess I should get back to work…"

"Wait, we're not finished…" Sasuke said as he rolled his pen off the front of this desk where it tumbled to the floor, catching Furuba's eye. "Oh, Naruto, would you mind picking that up for me?" Sasuke asked innocently.

Without thinking, the blonde got up and stooped down to pick up the pen. Sasuke craned his neck to look over his desktop as he did so and realized the view he was hoping for wasn't going to present itself. He quickly picked up another pen and threw it across the office where it landed on the floor in front of the bar before Naruto stood up again..

"Oh, thank you," he said as Naruto handed him the pen. "How stupid of me, I forgot I had dropped another pen over there near the bar. Would you mind picking that one up for me also?"

Naruto knew better than to resist, if Sasuke remained seated, his relative safety was assured. He walked across the office with the raven-haired Uchiha gazing at him. Naruto bent over, this time facing away from Sasuke.

"That's perfect…" Sasuke sighed.

"What?" Naruto asked bringing the pen back to his boss.

"Oh, I was going to ask you…When is the Chelsea Flower Show this year? We have that country house gardens book scheduled to come out….I was thinking we could do a tie-in publicity event at the show. Maybe a signing or something."

"I believe it's in May," Naruto answered.

"May, huh," Sasuke answered. "We could probably push back the release date. What do you think?"

"Well, I think you would definitely be reaching the right audience, but I'm not sure if a signing is the way to go. It's a little obvious. What can we do to differentiate this release?"

"I see," Sasuke said. "Yes, that's a good point, Naruto. Let's think….I'm envisioning a large display where young, shirtless boys are toiling in garden beds, lots of ivy and tropical plants….and dirty, sweaty toiling…"

A glazed look settled on Sasuke's face at the thought of such toiling. Naruto laughed nervously again.

"Ummmm, I think that might be differentiating us too much," he said.

"Too much, huh?" Sasuke said. "Would you mind calling up to Chatsworth House? See if they have any special cultivars of plants that we might be able to give away with the purchase of one of the books? If they have anything we think might work, put through an order of a thousand that we can take delivery of before the show. I think a limited edition will work. Let's talk about presentation later, once we know what we'll be giving away."

"Ok, I like that idea. I think it will work."

"Good," Sasuke said, then added suggestively. "How's your morning going? Anything I can help you with?"

"Well, Hatake is trying to push back his deadline again."

Sasuke laughed.

"When is that guy not trying to do that?" he asked. "If he would put as much effort into his material as he does trying to get out of turning it in, he'd have no problem."

"Yeah, it drives me a little crazy," Naruto admitted.

"You do seem a little tense," Sasuke said. "Would you like me to massage your shoulders?"

"No, I'm fine," Naruto said quickly.

"Oh, well, any time you aren't, just let me know…"

"Ahhh, thanks, I think," Naruto said. "Well, if that's all, I guess I should get back to my office…"

"Wait!" Sasuke suddenly cried out. "When is the Classic Car Show?"

"It's in February…" Naruto answered as Sasuke snatched up his telephone and hit the button for his brother again.

"Yes, Sasuke," Itachi answered.

"Do we still have that ancient Rolls Royce?" he asked.

"You mean the Silver Ghost that Grandfather owned?" Itachi asked.

"Yeah, that thing," Sasuke said. "Where is it?"

"It's on exhibition at Beaulieu, why?"

"Can we get it back? I was thinking that we could have it at the Classic Car Show with Furuba."

"Was this also Naruto's idea?" Itachi asked.

"Of course! You know how clever he is."

"Have Hinata call Beaulieu and see if they can do without it for a short time."

"Thanks," Sasuke said and hung up.

"Sasuke, seriously, you should be taking credit for all this…"

"Naruto, let's face it, I'm nothing without you…" Sasuke said slumping down onto his desk. "Itachi is the brains that holds this place together. I just rely on you."

"Well, I think you aren't giving yourself enough credit."

"Well, that's neither here nor there…" Sasuke said. "But, we've had a very productive morning, it's already eleven.

He picked up his telephone again and pushed the button for Hinata this time.

"Y-yes, Mr. Uchiha?" she stammered.

"Miss Hyuuga," Sasuke said. "Would you please have my car pick me up out front in ten minutes for lunch?"

"Certainly, Mr. Uchiha," she said, hanging up.

"She's such a pet," Sasuke said. "Well, I'm off to lunch. I probably won't be back until about three o'clock. It's club day…my life is such a chore…"

"Ahhhh, if you say so," Naruto said.

"Oh, by the way," Sasuke added. "Would you mind getting with the Publicity Department? I need them to draw up a press release. We're stealing a rather well-known writer away from a rival house. I've not read anything he's written, but Itachi says he's amazing. His name is Kiba Inuzaka."

"You want me to do the press release?" Naruto said. "That seems like something Hinata could do without much effort…"

"Oh, I don't want to overwhelm her," Sasuke said. "She gets so nervous….Well, I'm off. See you this afternoon."

He got up and scooped up Furuba from the chair next to Naruto after he put on his coat. He then departed the office, leaving Naruto to actually go back to his own office to do some of his own work. He stopped at Hinata's desk on his way.

"Hinata," he asked. "Why do you always get so nervous around Sasuke? You do your job extremely well and you're more than qualified."

"Oh, it's all an act," she said with a laugh. "It's just to throw him off. I think it makes him feel bad and he doesn't give me as much work that way."

"Hmmmm, you're pretty smart too," Naruto said. "That's why I keep getting your work!"

"I'm sorry," she laughed. "What did he ask you to do?"

"Do a press release with the Publicity Department regarding a new acquisition writer, Kiba Inuzuka. Have you heard of him?"

"Yes, I have," she said. "He's extraordinary. Don't worry though, I'll get with Publicity and get the press release done. Itachi and Sasuke have been keeping me copied on their emails, so I'll have it done in no time, and I'll forward it to you."

"Why don't you just take credit for it?"

"That would be bad," Hinata said gravely. "You don't want Sasuke thinking you can't get your work done. Think of it as a favor."

"I'm not going to think about it too much," Naruto commented. "The dynamics of this office are strange…."

"I can't deny that," Hinata agreed. "But I'm paid well and hardly ever have to work outside of regular hours, and I love working with you and the Itachi brothers. I wouldn't give up this job for anything."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Naruto said. "Are you going to lunch soon? Can I tag along?"

"Sure, let's go now while Sasuke's out and Itachi is on a teleconference until later this afternoon. I've taken him in some food already."

"Sasuke said he won't be back until three," Naruto said.

"Oh good, I can get my nails done later then."

Naruto laughed and went to retrieve his coat from his office and the two friends headed down in the lift to go out to find some lunch.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part II**

On Thursday afternoon, Naruto was sitting in his office, wishing it was Friday. He had finished editing a draft of a short story one of his writers had submitted as part of a compilation of his stories that had been previously published in magazines along with several unpublished stories. Naruto clicked the send button on the email back to the writer asking for a few revisions, and then he sat for a moment looking out the window of his office.

A while later, he was still daydreaming when his telephone rang in his office. He picked it up absently.

"Naruto," Sasuke said. "Could you please come to my office?"

"Sure, I'll be right there," he answered and hung up the telephone and walked the short distance to the neighboring office.

"He's in a really good mood today," Hinata whispered as Naruto knocked on the office door and entered.

"Naruto, please come in," Sasuke said, once again motioning for Naruto to sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

Neither was currently occupied since Furuba was lying on a windowsill enjoying the sunlight pouring in at the moment.

"What's up?" Naruto asked.

"I wanted to discuss the press release you put together for me the other day," Sasuke said, his hands resting beneath his chin and a smirk on his face.

Naruto began to panic, wishing he had read more closely the copy of the press release that Hinata had emailed him and thinking he should have checked it for accuracy.

"It was good stuff," Sasuke continued. "Really well done, thank you.

"O-oh, it was nothing…" Naruto replied hesitantly, then made a mental note to never again doubt Hinata's abilities. "I'm glad you're pleased."

"Really?" Sasuke said slyly. "I'd rather be pleasing you, but we've no time for that now!"

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as his boss continued.

"Unfortunately, we're going to have to shelve the release for a while longer. Itachi received some confidential information that Faber is also pursuing Kiba Inuzuka, and as a consequence, we've had to enter into some additional negotiations. I've confident that Itachi will get him in the end, but sometimes these things unexpectedly take longer than one expects."

"Oh, that's unfortunate," Naruto said sympathetically. "I've no doubt in Itachi's abilities. I'm sure it will work out in the company's favor."

"Someday I hope to impress you with my…um, 'abilities' also, Naruto…" Sasuke said with a renewed smirk, "but as I said, we've no time for that. This delay is also unfortunate for the fact that we already had a two-leg promotion tour for Inuzuka to promote his next book, which presumably will be published by Uchiha and Sons."

"How much has been scheduled already?" asked Naruto. "Do you need me to help with any of the details?"

"Well, fortunately nothing has been fully finalized, but all the hours I've spent planning can't be retrieved again…"

Naruto felt this was becoming less a meeting of proactivity and more of one for Sasuke to lament his lost effort, which, to be honest, probably wasn't really that much effort anyway. Naruto continued to listen politely however.

"The first leg will be international," Sasuke went on. "New York, London, Munich, Zurich, Hong Kong…possibly one or two other stops. Then later, for the full American release of the book: Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Boston, Detroit."

"That's a rather circuitous route," Naruto commented.

"Do you think so?" Sasuke asked. "Maybe we should rethink it then…but not today of course, we've no time as I've told you already."

"Oh," Naruto said, assuming that there must be a more pressing issue with the acquisition of the author or perhaps some other issue within the company.

"Yes, I'll be leaving for the country in a short while," Sasuke revealed. "The Countess Malbec invited me to Outlands Court, in Hertfordshire."

"Oh, I see," Naruto said, somewhat puzzled.

"Yes, she's having several guests for the weekend, but I'm going down early…," Sasuke said, then seeing the skeptical look on Naruto's face, he went on. "Well, I couldn't say no; she has that dishy son who plays polo. I'm hoping to perhaps find myself alone with him, on the floor, whereupon I'll say 'Don't ravish me too much!' and then I'll just let him have his way…"

Naruto couldn't help but roll his eyes at the thought.

"So, we now come to the real reason I've asked to see you," Sasuke said, smirking once again.

"The real reason?" Naruto asked. "So this wasn't a meeting about Inuzuka after all?"

"That was just incidental information I had to pass on to you," Sasuke said. "But dear Naruto, I desperately need your assistance with something personal…"

"Now, Sasuke…" Naruto began fearing he was about to be accosted again.

"Please!" Sasuke exclaimed. "He's really no trouble at all, he sleeps most of the time, and you won't even notice him…"

"What?" Naruto asked, completely puzzled now.

"Please say you'll take good care of Furuba while I'm out of town!"

"You want to watch your cat this weekend?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, please," Sasuke looked at him as if his world was coming to an end.

"Don't you usually take him with you everywhere?" Naruto asked.

"Well, yes, but there will be a lot of people there and I hope to be….very preoccupied for the weekend. Besides, I don't want to shock Furuba's sensibilities too much…"

 _I'm sure Furuba has seen the most shocking things already_ Naruto thought to himself, then realizing what he was thinking _What am I thinking, I don't want to imagine my boss like that!_

"Well, I suppose I could help you out…" Naruto said, hoping his entire weekend wouldn't be ruined now.

"Naruto, it would mean so much to me," Sasuke said. "I know we have a professional relationship, but I also consider you a very good friend, and I appreciate your loyalty to me and the company. I hope you also consider me as a friend as well as a colleague."

"Of course," Naruto said, happy that his somewhat spacey boss seemed to be being so sincere about him and it not being in an erotic way. "I think you're a very good friend, Sasuke."

"I'm so glad to hear that," Sasuke said, his smirk becoming even more smirky. "When I return, we'll make plans to do something in our private time outside of work then."

Naruto wondered if this, really, was the entire purpose of the meeting now. He had somehow managed to let himself open his personal time to his boss, something he had consciously and specifically kept separate up to that point in his employment. He resigned himself to the fact he had been outwitted and decided to move on and make the best of it. Sasuke, after all, was rather whimsical and also forgetful. By the time he returned, it would be likely that he didn't remember this conversation at all. Naruto could only hope that this would be the case anyway.

"Thank you again, for taking Furuba under your wing for the weekend," Sasuke was saying. "He really is well behaved and no trouble at all. If you'd like to take him to your office now, I'll be departing in about fifteen minutes. You'll find a carrier cage in the boardroom closet."

Sasuke had stood up from his chair while he was talking and had taken his coat off the coat tree and was now putting it on in preparation for his departure. Naruto had no choice but to get up, take Furuba in his arms, and follow Sasuke to the door of his office, where he was waiting.

"Thank you again," Sasuke said, patting Naruto on the shoulder, then his hand trailed down the blonde's back, down a bit too far and Naruto quickly moved forward before the hand reached its intended stopping point on Naruto's backside. "It really does mean a lot to me. You're very kind, Naruto. Take good care of him."

With that, Sasuke gave Hinata a few final instructions and then walked over to the lift, calling back to the two and wishing them a good weekend as the lift doors closed shut. Naruto and Hinata were silent a moment, her waiting to hear why Naruto was standing at her desk with Sasuke's pet and he wondering the same thing.

"Well, I'm dying to know!" she finally said, snapping the blonde out of his mental recap of how things had gone.

"It looks like I'll be having a guest for the weekend…" Naruto said.

"Oh dear," Hinata said. "Naruto, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that my plan to visit my mother this weekend would cause you such inconvenience. Normally this falls under the 'other duties as assigned' clause of my employment contract."

"Well, it's fine," he said. "How much trouble can one cat be?"

"He really is sweet," Hinata assured him. "I've never had a problem with him at all."

"That's good to know…what does he eat? Sasuke didn't leave me any food or any kind of instructions…"

"He only eats tinned salmon," Hinata said.

TINNED SALMON?!" Naruto nearly shouted. "This is going to be a little pricey."

"Oh, just turn in your receipts on an expense report," she said. "That's what I always do."

"I guess that isn't too surprising," Naruto said, but was relieved his expenditures would be recompensed to him later.

He returned back to his own office and Furuba promptly went to sleep in one of the chairs that were in front of his desk.

# # #

The next afternoon, after going out for a long lunch with Hinata, Naruto found himself once again sitting in his office staring out the window and daydreaming. At least it was Friday now, and only a few hours left before he could go home for the weekend. He picked up his telephone and called down to the mailroom, where his friend Shikamaru worked.

"Hey, Shikamaru," he said. "What are you doing tonight? Do you want to get some pub time in this weekend?"

"Yeah, that would be fun," Shikamaru said. "I'm busy tonight, but tomorrow would work good for me."

"Great! Give me a call tomorrow afternoon then."

"Sounds good," Shikamaru said and they hung up their telephones.

About a half hour later, Naruto was jarred out of his continued musing by Hinata entering his office.

"Mr. Itachi would like to see you," she said. "And he seems a little annoyed."

Naruto groaned as he got up from his desk and made his way to Itachi's office, which was placed at a slight elevation above the other offices, and was reached by a flight of five stairs that led to the office door. The office was directly above the board room, which was sunk below the regular floor level of the other offices.

Why do people get annoyed so late on Friday afternoons? Naruto wondered to himself as he climbed the steps and knocked on the door. He then waited for Itachi to call him in, which happened a moment later.

"Naruto, thank you for joining me," Itachi said, his piercing dark eyes gazing upon the blonde. "I always look forward to seeing you."

"Thank you, Mr. Uchiha," Naruto said. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh, I can think of several things I'd like you to do for me," Itachi said. "But I won't mention them due to the peculiar labor laws of our country. Also, I've warned you before about calling me 'Mr. Uchiha. My name is Itachi."

Naruto became slightly nervous and chuckled awkwardly. He hadn't really bargained for having both of his bosses wishing to see him. Sasuke he was used to, but Itachi only requested his presence rarely, and Naruto was still rather intimidated by him.

"What I wanted was to thank you for the brilliant idea to have Furuba take a trip as publicity for our social media campaign," Itachi said. "It really went over well. People have been following the Twitter and Instagram accounts we set up, and I'm very pleased with the rapidity with which it has caught on. It was a smart idea on your part. I'm going to continue with this approach and Furuba will be now traveling more frequently for various company events."

"Well, I'm really glad it's working so well and people are enjoying it," Naruto said. "However, I must confess, it was your brother who initially thought of the idea. He deserves all the credit for it."

"Yes, I suspected he had a larger role than he admitted, but either way, thanks for your help."

"You're very welcome," Naruto said. "I really like working here and you've given me a great opportunity which I am grateful for."

"I meant to have Sasuke in here also," Itachi went on. "He seems to have eluded me though. He always manages to know when he's in trouble."

"Oh no," Naruto said.

"Yes, it seems he was a little indiscrete in the company jet on the trip to Paris with Furuba," Itachi mused. "As I was looking through the photographs, I found several comprising one of Sasuke with the young gentleman he hired as an air steward. It wouldn't do if those had been discovered by the press of course."

Naruto debated on whether to inform Itachi about Sasuke's weekend plans, but didn't want to seem disloyal to Sasuke. On the other hand, he didn't want misfortune for befall the company. Either situation could cause him to be out of employment.

"I only hope he is more discreet this weekend at that country house party," Itachi commented, then looked directly at Naruto. "Of course, I tell you all this in the strictest confidence."

"I understand," Naruto said, feeling as if Itachi's stare was boring into his soul, but he was relieved that Itachi seemed to already know what Sasuke's weekend intentions were and he hadn't had to tell about it.

"Good," Itachi replied. "Well, that's all I wanted, to thank you for your input, and please keep up the excellent work. I'm going to be leaving soon, so have a nice weekend."

"Thank you, Itachi," Naruto said. "Please have a nice weekend, too."

Naruto went back to his desk, checked through his emails, and then sent Hinata a message over the office instant messenger telling her to come talk after Itachi left.

A short while after four o'clock, he heard Itachi leave, telling Hinata to have a nice weekend. She soon came into the office a moment after the lift doors closed.

"Y-yes, Mr. Uzumaki?" she stammered. "You w-wanted to see m-me?"

"Oh, Hinata," he said grinning. "That won't work on me."

She began giggling as she sat down in the chair that wasn't occupied by the sleeping Furuba, who Naruto had decided to bring with him to the office for the day since the car was used to coming in with his owner.

"Well, we're almost free," Hinata said. "Another week under our belts."

"Yeah," Naruto sighed. "I can't wait. I've been ready since yesterday…but you aren't going to guess what I have to tell you!"

"Oh no," she said. "This sounds like a plot."

"Well, let me tell you, first," he began, "what Sasuke told me yesterday. You know how's he's at Countess Malbec's for the weekend? Well, he confessed to me, for whatever reason, that he hopes to find himself involved with her son!"

"Oh no," Hinata said. "I hope he doesn't come in Monday with a black eye again…"

"Wait there's more!" Naruto said. "And Itachi told me that while he took that trip to Paris so they could photograph his cat for the social media sites, he apparently forgot about the automatic camera, which captured him fully involved with the air steward!"

"When will he ever settle down?" Hinata asked after giggling aloud for a few moments. "Poor Sasuke, he really is nice, just a little too wild for his own good."

"He is a nice guy, at least when he isn't trying to grab me or kiss me," Naruto admitted. "He just insn't very thorough in thinking through things before he acts on his passions."

"He is rather impulsive," Hinata said. "How about you, Naruto? How is the dating scene going for you?"

"It's all right," Naruto said. "I've been in a dry spell for a while now though.

"I know the feeling," she replied. "I go on dates frequently, but find myself becoming bored out of my mind too often between the salad and dessert."

"Yeah, these have been my only dates lately," Naruto said holding up his two hands and laughing.

"Sometimes that's more satisfying," Hinata laughed along with him. "At least then you don't have to make idle conversation."

"Why don't we sneak out a little early?" Naruto asked.

"I was thinking that too," she said. "You can take off now, I've just one more thing to finish up, and then I'll be gone too. Hope you have a great weekend."

"Thanks, you too," Naruto said. "We'll compare notes on Monday."

He then scooped up Furuba, placing him in the carrier cage, and departing the office building.

Back home, he let Furuba out, opened a tin of salmon and put it into a bowl for the cat. He immediately began devouring the fish as Naruto straightened up his flat a little. He then let the cat out onto his small balcony, where he had lain most of the previous night. He then lay down on his bed and promptly fell into a stone sleep.

It was dark when he awoke to the sound of thunder and then panicked as he realized Furuba was out on the balcony still. He pulled open the door and dashed out into the rain to retrieve the soaking feline from where he was cowering under a wrought iron chair.

He sat the poor creature down and was about to get a towel out to dry him when the cat turned around and hissed violently at him and then promptly ran off and hid beneath the sofa. Naruto suddenly felt extremely guilty and terrified that Furuba would catch feline pneumonia and perish, or that somehow, Sasuke would learn that he had left his beloved cat out in the rain. Both outcomes, he was certain, would result in him being fired.

He opened another tin of salmon and dumped it out onto a small plate and shoved it under the sofa. After convincing himself there was nothing more he could do when the cat refused to come out, he went back to bed, hoping the incident would be forgotten by morning.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part III**

Naruto awoke on Saturday morning to find that Furuba had not, in fact, emerged from beneath the sofa. He retrieved the dish he had placed under the sofa the night before and found all the salmon had been eaten. So, he opened another tin of salmon and placed a new plate of it under the sofa.

He hoped for the best as he wandered back out to the kitchen to make some breakfast for himself, making scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and tea. He sat down at the small table to eat and soon felt the cat brushing against his legs.

"Hey," he said reaching down and petting him on the head. "Sorry about last night."

He finished eating, leaving some of his eggs on the plate and putting it down on the floor where Furuba gobbled it up. After cleaning up the kitchen, Naruto then went and took a shower, coming his blonde hair into submission. He put on a sweater and a pair of jeans and headed out to Hatchards bookstore.

The day was proving to be quite nice for October, chilly to be sure, but mild enough not to be a biting chill. He walked along Piccadilly, past the Ritz, and arrived at Hatchards a few minutes later. Inside, he went up to a clerk and asked where he might find books by Kiba Inuzuka. He was then directed to look in the historical biographies. He took his time browsing through the new titles before seeking out the works of the writer that Messrs. Uchiha and Sons, Ltd were attempting to acquire.

He looked through the selection on the shelves and picked out one that was about a Russian empress. He then looked around for a while longer, picking out a couple more books. As he was walking toward the door to exit, his mobile telephone began vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out, saw it was Shikamaru, and answered as he came out onto the street.

"Hey, Shikamaru," he said.

"What's up, man?" he asked. "You still feel like doing something tonight?"

"Sure, what are you thinking? Want to go to Rumbold's again?"

"Well, would you mind just hanging out at my place? Don't ask me now, but I'm minding Sasuke's cat for the weekend. I'll tell you all about it later."

"Yeah, that's good with me. Do you need me to pick anything up?"

"Can you bring the beer?" Naruto asked. "I'm out at Hatchards right now. I'll stop at Fortnum's and get something to eat. How's that sound?"

"Good," Shikamaru answered. "I'll see you around eight o'clock."

"All right, see you later," Naruto said and then ended the call and put his telephone back in his pocket.

Naruto went into Fortnum & Mason and made his way to the Food Hall. He selected a cheese box, some smoked salmon, and a box of chocolates to placate his sweet tooth later. After getting what he wanted, he walked backed to his flat.

Upon entering, he found Furuba innocently sitting on his desk and then noticed one of his drapes was torn completely to shreds. Naruto groaned and set his packages down on the floor to examine the damage. He sighed in defeat at realizing he would need new drapes.

"I said I was sorry!" he said at the cat, who was now swishing his tail about playfully. "You didn't need to tear up the place."

The cat meowed and jumped off the desk and began winding himself around and through Naruto's legs.

"Ok, so that means we're even?" he asked. "At least I hope so. I thought you were supposed to be 'no trouble' anyway. Well, I'll keep this a secret if you keep being left out in the rain a secret."

He next went into the kitchen to store the food items he had bought until later, when Shikamaru arrived. Afterwards, he went into his bedroom and lay down to start reading the book he had purchased. He stretched out and a moment later, Furuba joined him, curling up at his side. Before he knew it, it was six o'clock and he had been reading for four hours.

"This is really good," he said to Furuba, who rolled over on his back to have his tummy rubbed. "This Inuzuka guy will be a good addition for the company."

He went back to the kitchen and took the cheese box he had bought earlier out of the refrigerator. He then pulled a large board from one of the cupboards to arrange the cheeses on so they would come to room temperature. Next, he took the smoked salmon out and sliced it with a large kitchen knife, arranging it on a platter as he did so. He covered it and placed it back in the refrigerator once he had sliced most of it. The little bit that was left at the end he put it on a dish for Furuba who had been meowing at his ankles ever since he had opened the fish. Finally, he took two pint glasses from his cupboard and placed them on the counter with two small plates.

Shikamaru arrived promptly at eight, as he was always very punctual. He had brought with him all the Guinness that he had in his own refrigerator, which was eight bottles that was plenty for the two of them in one evening.

"Hey, man," Shikamaru said, then, pointing to the destroyed curtain, "Are you redecorating or something?"

"Oh, that…" Naruto said awkwardly. "Well, that's just a little disagreement that I've had with my house guest for the weekend."

"This is Uchiha's cat?" Sasuke asked noticing the cat had started slinking around his legs. "What a drag. Well let's get to drinking and you can tell me how this happened."

They say down at the kitchen table, where Naruto had set out the cheese board and the salmon. Shikamaru handed him a Guinness and set one out for himself. The rest he put into the refrigerator. Naruto then detailed to his friend all the story of how he came to have custody of his boss' cat for the weekend.

"Man, I haven't seen Uchiha in person in almost a year, and I'm kind of glad now," Shikamaru mused. "That's so troublesome."

"He's not so bad," Naruto said. "But it always seems to me that he benefits more from our little meetings he frequently holds in his office."

"Yeah, I never take for granted that I am off in my own little world down in the mailroom. I hardly see anyone except my staff and almost never have to even venture out of my office."

"That would be nice sometimes," Naruto admitted. "But let's not talk about work all night…how are you and your girlfriend doing?"

"Hmmm," Shikamaru thought a moment. "Being in a relationship is…troubling most often. We're currently broken up."

"Again!?" Naruto said.

"Yeah," Shikamaru said. "Are you dating anyone?"

"No, not yet," Naruto said. "I'd like to be I guess, but it just hasn't worked out that way yet."

"Well, hang in there. I'm sure someone will come along soon."

"Hey, I just remembered, I have a bit of news…although it takes up back to work," Naruto said with a laugh. "Itachi and Sasuke are trying to bring a new writer in under their imprint. His name is Kiba Inuzuka. From what they told me, they are stealing away from his current publisher."

"I think his contract expired and he's looking for a new house," Shikamaru said. "He's pretty well-known in certain circles and highly regarded. He writes history, not really my thing, but I hear they sell a lot for that market segment, which has a higher margin."

"You know all that about him?" Naruto said. "I started one of his books this afternoon, it's really well-written."

"Well, if the Uchiha's bring him on board our happy ship, you could always date him," Shikamaru said with a sly grin. "I hear he's into other guys."

"I can't see myself dating a writer," Naruto said. "And especially one I'd be editing for."

"That would be particularly troublesome," Shikamaru observed. "But I wasn't really all that serious. You'll find someone soon."

"Thanks," Naruto said. "Are you staying the night?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind. I like your couch, and I've no one waiting at home at the moment. So, if you don't mind?"

"No, not at all."

# # #

On Monday morning, Sasuke came rushing into Naruto's office to take back Furuba. He burst through the doors, seemingly out of breath.

"Furuba!" he called out. "Come to papa!"

The cat leapt off the back of the chair he was lounging in and ran to his owner. Sasuke scooped him up in his arms as if the cat was a child, holding him out at arms length and making silly faces at him. He then cradled Furuba to his bosom.

"Did you miss papa?" he asked. "I'm here now, don't worry your fuzzy little head."

Naruto suppressed a chuckle, seeing his boss behaving in such a manner. A moment later, Sasuke turned to him.

"Naruto, would you please follow me," he said. "I've something of grave importance to discuss with you…"

"Yes, certainly, Sasuke," Naruto replied, rising from his seat and suddenly becoming overrun with panic that somehow Furuba had betrayed their agreement to keep the rain and the torn drape a secret between them.

He sat down in one of the chairs in front of Sasuke's desk, waiting for his imminent firing, or worse, his execution.

"Thank you so much for taking care of Furuba," Sasuke said, a genuine smile spreading across his face. "I've never seen him look so happy. He's usually rather sulky when I return from being away from him, but today, he seems to be quite happy."

"Oh…umm, it was nothing," Naruto said as relief flooded through him. "As you said, he was no trouble at all…"

"That's good to know you were a good kitty!" Sasuke said to Furuba, then turned back to Naruto. "Did he eat well? Sometimes he can be fussy if I'm not around."

"He ate quite a lot," Naruto said. "I picked up some smoked salmon from Fortnum's and shared a little with him. He seemed to rather enjoy it."

"How nice," Sasuke said. "I've decided that perhaps Hinata doesn't really understand felines…I've decided from now on, I'll have you watch Furuba anytime the need arises. If it's quite convenient, of course."

"Ohhhh, of course, it would be most convenient any time…." Naruto said with a nervous laugh and then thought to himself _How could I refuse my boss?_

"That's excellent. I really appreciate your dedication, Naruto."

"You're welcome," the blonde replied weakly. "How was your weekend?"

"Miserable," Sasuke said. "Malbec's son wasn't even there! I was bored out of my mind until a certain acquaintance of mine arrived late on Friday evening. Then, neither of us were seen very often, if you know what I mean…."

Naruto only chuckled a little hoping he wouldn't get any more details than was necessary.

"Anyway," Sasuke continued. "I've some unfortunate news to convey to you regarding Inuzuka."

"Oh no," Naruto said. "Don't tell me he went to Faber…"

"No!" Sasuke exclaimed. "And bite your tongue! It's not anywhere near as bad as that, but it's still rather a thorn."

"What's happened?"

"I'm afraid that Inuzuka was named in a lawsuit over the weekend in Italy. Fortunately Itachi was able to fly there immediately and has, God only knows how, to keep it out of the newspapers."

"Oh dear, plagiarism," Naruto assumed. "How disappointing."

"Don't say that!" Sasuke nearly shouted clutching his chest and causing Furuba, who had been sleeping, to jump up and puff his fur up in fright. "That's a forbidden word around here."

"What did he do then?" Naruto asked.

"Well, apparently he's been carrying on an affair and the marriage has finally broke. Inuzuka was called an 'erotic assassin' in the lawsuit, which, I don't mind telling you, gives me somewhat of a thrill to say…"

"That is unfortunate," Naruto said, thinking back to what Shikamaru had said two days ago and making a mental note to tell his friend he was wrong that Kiba was homosexual. "The public may turn on him if they begin to think of him as a home-wrecker. I suppose that Itachi is trying to find out how reasonable the husband can be and if he'll just divorce his wife quietly?"

"Oh, Naruto," Sasuke said. "Do pay attention. It was the wife who brought the suit. Apparently Inuzuka has been involved with her husband for some time."

Naruto sighed, realizing that Shikamaru had been right after all. He wondered how his friend, who was so quiet and self-contained, knew so much about the outside world.

"Anyway, Itachi has Inuzuka holed up in a hotel in Rome now, and he's hoping to settle the matter financially and take it out of Inuzuka's signing bonus. Negotiations are going rather well, and Itachi hopes to be back late tomorrow…which brings me to the most particular part of this whole incident."

"Yes?" Naruto asked, unsure if he really wanted to hear more.

"Naruto," Sasuke began. "You know how valuable you are to Uchiha and Sons, and both me and Itachi are more than pleased with your diligence, loyalty, and flexibility with us. We appreciate everything you have done, and we are looking forward to working with you for a very long time, as long as you'll stay with us."

"Yesss…?" Naruto asked again, even more unsure of wanting to know.

"Well, you see how it is now, the situation with Inuzuka," Sasuke went one. "Once Itachi has him back here, it will be necessary to keep him completely contained for a while, until we can finalize his contract and sign him. We don't want anyone to know he's even in the country."

"I see," Naruto said. "That could present a problem if other publishers began making covert offers to him directly rather than through his literary agent. Keeping him off limits would be the best course of action I think. But where to keep him at? I supposed you can't just through him in the Tower these days."

Precisely!" Sasuke said. "Naruto, you really are so clever. I completely agree with you, and, although I wouldn't mind using the Tower at this point, it is out of the question. So, in that case, I'm afraid we'll need to have you mind Inuzuka while he stays at your flat."

"W-What?" Naruto said faintly, feeling light-headed and wondering how he hadn't seen this coming.

"I know it will be slightly inconvenient, and, to be honest, I'm rather jealous that you'll be spending so much time alone with this erotic assassin…." Sasuke said as a smirk passed across his lips. "I'm prepared to give you a ￡5000.00 bonus for the week. By next Monday, we should have everything well in hand and he will be free to do as he pleases. It could conceivably be earlier than that, but it wouldn't affect the amount of your bonus."

"Whaaaaaat?" Naruto said even more faintly.

"Yes, that's right. It will be in your payroll for this week's pay period."

"How can I say no?"

"Naruto, I knew you wouldn't let me down," Sasuke said letting out a huge sigh of relief. "You do drive a hard bargain, but you're worth it. Thank you, from myself and on behalf of my brother and our company."

"Thank you for entrusting me with such a special assignment," Naruto said, thinking of what he was going to do with the bonus he would be receiving at the end of next week.

"Well, I'm afraid I need to leave for a special board meeting at my uncle's home," Sasuke said. "As I mentioned, Itachi hopes to be back with Inuzuka tomorrow, although I'm uncertain of the exact time. If you need to leave early today to make any preparations for this special assignment, I've emailed Hinata a time-off authorization form. I doubt I'll be back today, but I'd like to see you first thing tomorrow morning again."

"Yes, of course," Naruto said standing up from the chair he was sitting in as Sasuke ran about the office grabbing his coat, his cat, and a large file from his desk. He then dashed off, calling back to Hinata to have a nice day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part IV**

Naruto was wandering around his local market later that afternoon trying to think of what he should buy to make his soon-to-be-arriving houseguest feel that he was being well taken care of. He had left the office around noon to follow Sasuke's suggestion of getting things in order. Normally, Naruto's pantry was quite sparse and he would usually purchase just enough to get by for a day or two, or else he would simply rely on local pubs and restaurants for his sustenance.

Now, however, since Naruto could potentially (at least in his own mind) be affecting whether or not the writer in question would sign with Messrs. Uchiha and Sons, Ltd. by the level of hospitality he showed, he wanted to minimize any possibility of creating offense. He was determined to have a good supply of food, beer on hand, and to thoroughly clean the flat once he returned from his shopping excursion. The latter, of course, was the most vexing. Hinata had insisted, when Naruto had told her of his plight, in coming over to help him clean the place up.

As he strolled around the market, he realized he had no idea what Kiba Inuzuka liked or disliked. He sighed, wondering to himself why he hadn't searched the internet for information on Kiba before he had gone out. After all, he was a rather popular author. Naruto decided that pasta would be a relatively safe thing to buy…a majority of people enjoyed pasta and he could buy ingredients for different types of sauces, making it easier to adapt to any preferences that his guest might have.

He picked out four types of pasta and then went and loaded his cart with fresh tomatoes, tinned crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, garlic, mushrooms, butter, cream, lemons, capers, a couple varieties of cheeses, a loaf of fresh bread, and some boneless chicken from the meat counter.

Afterwards, he stopped off at a local fishmonger and bought some shrimp and some trout. He then began doubting whether he had enough or whether he was neglecting anything. Realizing he didn't have anything sweet, he stopped off at a bakery a purchased a dozen assorted pastries, which added a large cardboard box to the multitude of bags he currently had in his possession.

Now laden with all his packages, he made his way back to the flat. At the street door, he struggled to get his key out of his pocket, managed to do so without dropping anything, and then felt his mobile telephone vibrating in his pocket.

"Fuck," he said aloud under his breath as he set some of the parcels down and answered to call.

"Hi, Naruto," Hinata said. "I'm just about to leave and I should be to your place within a half hour, will that be all right?"

"Yes, I'm just getting back from the market now," he replied. "So that will be perfect. Thanks again for offering to help me. You know you don't have to."

"No, don't worry about it," she said with a small giggle. "It's really for work after all, so don't feel at all guilty. And I wouldn't offer unless it was sincere."

"Thanks," Naruto said. "I'll see you in a little while then."

He ended the call and hauled his food stash up the three flights of stairs to his flat. Inside, he put the groceries away and then went to his bedroom, which, incidentally, was the messiest room in the flat. He gathered up his dirty clothes, which was on the floor and also spilling out of the over-full hamper in his closet. He separated them into whites and darks and threw the load of whites into the small, stacked washer/dryer that was in his kitchen. He suddenly realized that just the amount of laundry was going to take a long time to get through, which was depressing. He conceded to himself that he needed to wash towels and his bedding and the extra blankets and linens for the pull-out sofa bed. He took everything out and began making additional piles of washing. Becoming slightly more depressed, he took out all his cleaning supplies, then glanced at the dirty dishes stacked in the sink. He sighed, wishing he was more disciplined in keeping his domestic affairs in order. A little while later, as he was dusting the living room, Hinata arrived and began assisting him.

"Please don't feel obligated to do anything you don't want to," Naruto said. "I guess I've been rather slovenly lately and the place is in bad shape."

"Oh, I've seen worse," Hinata said. "I once went to a young man's flat for dinner, only to find the kitchen literally piled with unwashed dishes and pans. And, what's worse, he served me over-cooked, bland chicken, instant mashed potatoes, and wilted lettuce in the salad. Needless to say, I left as soon as the dinner was done and never spoke to him again. It was a rather miserable evening."

"Oh dear," Naruto sympathized. "Fortunately I've never had anything like that happen, but I usually meet in public for dates."

"Sometimes a girl can get a little desperate," Hinata laughed. "But I realized I wasn't that desperate after dinner!"

"Yeah, that would be extreme desperation," Naruto agreed.

"Well, where should I start?" Hinata asked.

"Would you mind finishing the dusting?" Naruto asked. "I've done a little in the living room, and if you want to finish, I'll tackle the bathroom."

"That works," Hinata said taking the dust cloth Naruto offered her. "I really am curious to know about Kiba, so you're going to have to fill me in as as soon as you can! I tried to call Mr. Sasuke, but he didn't answer, probably due to still being in that board meeting. I was going to see if he had any additional information about when Itachi will be returning tomorrow."

"I don't expect to know until the last minute truthfully," Naruto said. "It seems to be the most likely scenario."

They then went about cleaning in their own way, each tackling a different room to speed through the work. After a few hours, Naruto was folding the towels he had washed, and that was the last task to do before the flat was spotless and all in order.

Naruto collapsed into one of the chairs after he put away the towels. Hinata was sitting on the couch looking through a magazine.

"Thanks again for your help," Naruto said. "I'd probably have been up all night if I was alone."

"No, it was fun," Hinata said. "What did you end up getting at the market?"

"Well, I have no idea what this guy likes, so I got pasta. I figured most people like that, so hopefully he does too. And then I bought ingredients where I will be able to make four different sauces: piccata, alfredo, tomato, and tomato cream, and I also bought some chicken and seafood. So, I'll be versatile!"

"That was probably a safe way to go, Naruto," Hinata agreed. "And with him having been involved with that Italian man, I think that was a good plan. Unless, of course, he thinks you're making fun of him by giving him Italian food…"

"Oh, shit!" Naruto exclaimed. "I didn't even think of that! I mean, I guess subconsciously I was thinking pasta because of the Italian affair, but it wasn't thinking that. He's probably going to hate me and go sign with Faber. I'll be fired…"

"No," Hinata said bursting into laughter. "He won't notice a thing. I'm sure he's got a huge ego and will enjoy you cooking for him. You know how writers are."

"Yeah, that I do."

"Is your wide cellar well-stocked?" Hinata asked. "He probably is used to drinking wine with meals if he spent any time in Italy. When I went with a couple girlfriends, I think I was not completely sober the entire trip."

"Oh no!" Naruto bewailed his ill fate. "I didn't even think he might like wine. I don't think I have anything worth opening even. I bought some beer, but maybe he's not into that."

"Why don't we go down to the wine merchant then?" Hinata suggested. "Thinking back on my trip, I'm suddenly wanting to restock my own supply…"

The two went over to the local wine seller and made some purchases. Naruto relied solely on the proprietor's suggestions as to what would best go with the meals he planned to make and he made sure to buy all Italian wines. Hinata picked out bottles based on the likelihood of her becoming smashed drunk, but within reason. She didn't want any swill.

They parted ways outside the wine shop since it was now getting rather late. They assured one another they would show up to work and not call in from having drunk all their wine.

# # #

The next morning, Naruto was called into Sasuke's office (as was becoming habitual it seemed). He sat down in the chair not occupied by Furuba. Sasuke looked tired and had dark circles under his eyes.

"Naruto," he began, "would you mind going down with me to the book shop and getting some coffee with me?"

"Sure," Naruto replied, thinking of all the work he needed to get done.

The two went down in the lift to the ground floor, which had a book shop that occupied one half of the entire building, which occupied an entire city block. It stocked mostly titles from the company's own stable of authors, but, in order to attract the most patrons, they also sold titles from competing firms. Located inside the book shop was a small coffee cafe that sold various hot and cold coffee drinks, tea, and pastries. Sasuke ordered a cappuccino and a blueberry scone and he also bought Naruto a cup of hot Earl Gray tea.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?" he asked.

"No, thanks," Naruto said. "I can't eat anything really sweet in the morning or I'll get a headache."

"Really?" Sasuke asked in disbelief. "So you never have pancakes or French toast or anything?"

"No," Naruto said with a chuckle at the almost shocked look on his bosses face. "I do like that for dinner once in a while though."

"Ahhhh," Sasuke said. "That's a relief to know you aren't totally depriving yourself."

They sat down a little table in the back of the cafe, so as to be able to talk in relative quiet. Sasuke sighed as he stirred the foam into his cappuccino.

"Are you all right?" Naruto asked. "You don't seem to be your usual talkative self today."

"I'm not," Sasuke confessed. "And thank you for asking, I appreciate that you would notice. I was at that board meeting yesterday and it was the epitome of time wasting. My father and uncle just love to waste everyone's time and energy with their nonsense. It's so vexing."

"What did they say?" Naruto asked.

"It's too tiresome to go into any detail, but the main point was that 'we're important and you need to do what we say and you and Itachi spend too much and we want all the money…'"

"Wow, they actually said that?"

"Well, I'm paraphrasing of course," Sasuke said. "But the message was pretty clear. If only Itachi had been there. He always knows just how to shut them up and put them in their place without them realizing he's doing it."

"That does sound like a bother," Naruto said. "You have my sympathy."

"Thank you," Sasuke said with a slight smile. "I just get so tired and fed up with these greedy old men grasping for every nickel they can get their fat hands on. And have you ever noticed that not one of these executive men are, even in the faintest sense of the word, attractive? They are invariably fat, balding, wretched, self-indulgent, self-absorbed, self-entitled hideous caricatures or humanity. Seriously, why is it always the case? But maybe I just answered my own question…"

"I'm sorry," Naruto said. "I hadn't ever really thought about it, but now that you point it out, I can't think of one who looks decent."

"Don't they have any dignity or self-respect?" Sasuke continued his rant. "Everyone knows how greedy they are and how impotent. It's revolting to look at. They make themselves into a joke. Naruto, you must promise me that if I ever become like that, you'll gun me down."

Naruto laughed nervously, glancing around to make sure no one was watching.

"I can't imagine you ever being like that," he said.

"I hpe not," Sasuke said. "I'm just tired, so forgive me for rambling. After the board meeting, Itachi called me from Italy in the middle of the night to discuss Inuzuka. As a result, I barely slept last night."

"Oh, that's not good at all," Naruto said, drinking down the last of his tea.

"That reminds me, by the way," Sasuke went on. "Itachi and Inuzuka should be arriving around two o'clock today, if all goes according to plan anyway. Confidentially, and I know I can trust you, Itachi had to shell out a fortune to shut that stupid woman up. I'm sure she's on her way to Milan as we speak to buy an entire new wardrobe of Prada and Versace and whatever else she can get her hands on. Not that she doesn't deserve it I guess. Her husband was quite caddish to carry on with another man under her nose and all. It was an exorbitant amount though."

"I don't know much about those situations," Naruto said. "But I agree with you that it was rather caddish of him."

"Quite right," Sasuke said. "Inuzuka better sell a lot of books. He know pretty much has no choice but to sign with us because Itachi told him if he didn't then the company would sue him for return of the payoff amount and it would definitely be all over the newspapers, all over the world, too."

"Oh dear," Naruto said. "I guess you lie in the bed you make though."

"Don't I know it!" Sasuke suddenly became more animated. "Speaking of beds, Naruto. Don't forget we have that promise of getting together outside of work."

"Ohhhhh…" Naruto said, recalling how he had hoped his boss would forget about that and wondering even more why Sasuke's memory had recalled the two of them hanging out at the mention of the word 'bed." Naruto was worried that was a bad sign.

"Yes, I'm not sure when I'll have time though," Sasuke said, not noticing the somewhat pained look on his friend's face. "And you might not either since you'll need to be minding Inuzuka."

"That's true enough," Naruto said, feeling relieved of any imminent danger. "Is Itachi bringing him right to the office today? Will you be able to introduce us?"

"Oh!" Sasuke said. "I nearly forgot what I was talking about. In fact, Itachi is going to be taking Mr. Inuzuka directly to your flat, so if you could please scribble down your address. I'll let Itachi know where to take him. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to send you home early today since you're 'ill.'"

"Ohhhh," Naruto said, pulling out his blue editing pencil and writing his address onto the paper napkin that Sasuke had passed him across the table. "I was hoping to meet him beforehand."

"Write your telephone number down, too," Sasuke said, pushing the napkin back to Naruto, who had just moved it across the table."

"I thought you had my mobile number already," he commented.

"I do," Sasuke said with a wicked smirk, "but it just makes it seem so much more lurid if you give me both your address and telephone number on a napkin across the table! Indulge my whims, Naruto!"

Naruto rolled his eyes, but couldn't help a slight laugh. He quickly write down the number knowing there would be no real harm since his boss already had the number in question. He passed it back once more across the table. Sasuke picked it up and stood up.

"You don't look at all well," he said with a wink. "I think it would be best for you to retrieve your things from your office and go home to get some rest so you can recover."

"Thanks, Sasuke," Naruto said. "I'll do my best to keep our new writer entertained and it good spirits."

"Well, don't do too much," Sasuke said with a look of alarm. "You know how he was labeled an erotic assassin….I'm still jealous you'll be seeing him so much. I'm going to stop by tomorrow to meet with him, well both of you. You'll be his editor of course."

"I suspected I would be," Naruto said. "Thank you again, it's an honor that you give me all the best writers. I hope I live up to your confidence."

"Oh, nonsense," Sasuke said. "You have more than proved yourself having to deal with Hatake. When would be a convenient time for me to visit tomorrow?"

"Will you be able to wait until dinner?" Naruto asked. "I'm going to be cooking for Inuzuka, would you be able to join us?"

"How kind," Sasuke said. "Yes, I'd love to come for dinner, and you'll actually be helping me out of a jam. I was supposed to attend some kind of damnable business association meeting for Itachi, but I'll tell him he'll need to go because I need to meet with you and Inuzuka."

"All right," Naruto said. "Do you have a preference on what you'd like? I didn't know what his preferences are, so I can make any number of pastas with the items I bought from the market…tomato sauce, piccata, tomato cream, or alfredo?"

"I'd kill for a good tomato sauce," admitted Sasuke.

"Great! I make a killer peasant spaghetti, so eat light at lunch."

"I'll skip lunch altogether then," Sasuke said.

The two had stepped off the lift at the top floor again and were now standing next to Hinata's desk. Sasuke turned to her and said gravely:

"Naruto isn't feeling well, so he's going to be heading home soon, and possibly working from home for the next few days…"

"Oh!" she stammered, appearing to become flustered. "Of c-course, Mr. Uchiha. I'll do my b-best to keep everything under c-control."

"Don't worry, I've arranged for one of the pool secretaries up come up temporarily to assist you this week," he said and then turned to Naruto. "Thanks for trying to stick it out today, Naruto. We appreciate your dedication."

He then went into his office and closed the door, hoping no one would interrupt him.

Naruto turned to Hinata and leaned down to whisper to her.

"I'm not really ill," he said. "Inuzuka is arriving soon, and I've my orders to keep him out of sight for the time being."

"Oh, I know," Hinata said. "I was peeking around Sasuke's emails while the two of you were gone. And isn't it great I'll have one of the pool girls to help me!"

"Yeah," Naruto laughed. "Sounds like you'll have a good week. I hope mine will be as well."

"It will," she said. "Don't worry."

"Thanks, I'll text you when he arrives to fill you in."

"I'll be waiting on pins and needles!" she said. "And by the way, I expect some of that spaghetti you were discussing sometime. It sounds delicious."

"You got it," Naruto said. "We'll have a get-together soon, and I'll cook, but you need to bring dessert again."

"It's a deal!"

With that, Naruto went to his office to gather his laptop, coat, and umbrella and then took leave of the office to await the imminent arrival of his houseguest.


	5. Chapter 5

**Part V**

On his way home, after getting off the tube, Naruto had stopped off once again at the market to get items to make a salad to go with the peasant spaghetti he was planning to make. He then walked the couple blocks back to his flat and proceeded to clean the vegetables and chop them, placing them in a salad bowl and putting it into the refrigerator to chill with a damp towel over it.

Once done with that, he sat down on the sofa expecting to relax until his guest's arrival. A moment later though, he began to notice little things that never would have even appeared to him if he were not expecting a visitor. He stood up, began by straightening the rug which covered the wood floor, moved on the making sure the lamps were precisely aligned on the tabletops, then rearranged the few items on the mantle over the fireplace.

 _What am I doing?_ he asked himself after looking around for anything else which might be construed as out-of-place. _I'm not this compulsive._

He sat back down in one of the wing-back chairs and picked up a magazine. He was leafing through the pages when he suddenly noticed the stack of other magazines on the coffee table. He got up once again and began sorting through them, leaving the few current ones neatly arranged on the coffee table and taking the others to the dustbin. He returned back to the chair, finally relaxing a bit before realizing he was slightly hungry.

After searching around his kitchen a little, Naruto realized he hadn't really bought anything besides what he planned to use to make meals for Kiba. He forlornly closed the refrigerator door and decided to go to one of the pubs near his flat.

He walked out into the late October afternoon and around the corner to The Seabird's Arms pub. He sat down at the bar and greeted the bartender, who he had become familiar with from his previous visits. He was given a pint and then ordered a fish sandwich with chips.

"How's your day so far?" the bartender asked cheerily. "Have the day off work, do you?"

"In a manner of speaking," Naruto said. "I'm technically working, but I don't need to be in the office. There's a client who will be staying with me temporarily while he relocates here from the Continent. He's scheduled to arrive later this afternoon."

"Oh, that ought to keep you busy then," the bartender replied. "Hope it isn't too much of a bother though."

"I hope not," Naruto answered. "From what I hear, this particular person could be a little high strung. I'm sure it will be all right though."

"Well good," the bartender said moving down to help some other customers who had come in. "Enjoy your pint."

Naruto sat in thought as he ate his sandwich. He was starting to get a little more apprehensive each time he looked at his watch or at the ornately carved clock that was over the back of the bar.

Sasuke had told him that Kiba and Itachi would be flying in and arriving by 2:00, which was now less than an hour and a half away. He suddenly began to worry again that his hospitality could potentially affect whether or not the author signed with Uchiha and Sons even though Sasuke had told him that Kiba more or less had no choice now. He quickly finished his lunch, paid, and went back to his flat.

He was settling down again to try and relax when his mobile phone began ringing. He quickly saw it was Sasuke calling and answered it.

"Naruto, how are you feeling? Still under the weather I suppose?" Sasuke joked.

"You know I'm fine," Naruto said. "I just had lunch and am eagerly awaiting our visitor."

"Oh good, you've eaten," Sasuke said. "I have as well even though I was supposed to skip it, so we needn't worry about going out."

"We didn't have lunch plans…" Naruto was bewildered.

"Oh, so silly of me," Sasuke said. "I'm almost to your flat. Plans have taken a slight detour, which I will explain upon my arrival. But why I called you was to get some more specific directions. I believe we're at your building, but where do I go once I'm inside?"

"Oh, you're here…" Naruto was even more bewildered now. "I'll come down and meet you…"

"That's so kind of you, Naruto," Sasuke said. "See you momentarily."

He ended the call and Naruto was left holding his own phone in his hand for a moment as he tried to come up with possibly scenarios as to why his boss was already at his flat when he wasn't supposed to arrive until dinner time. Each scenario seemed to end with the fact that they would be alone in Naruto's flat for several hours… He sighed and quickly exited and went down to the ground floor.

He found Sasuke standing in the entryway holding Furuba in his arms. He grinned as he saw Naruto coming toward him.

"Good day," he said. "I'm so excited to finally be seeing your abode, Naruto. Furuba has told me all about it."

"Really?" Naruto said, laughing nervously as he recalled the incident where Sasuke's cat had been left outside in a rain storm. "You don't say?"

"Shall we go up?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto led the way to the stairs and they began going up.

"No lift in your building?" Sasuke asked. "That's a pity."

"I don't mind too much," Naruto said. "It helps to keep me fit and active."

"Ahhhh," Sasuke said from where he was walking behind Naruto up the stairs. "From my view everything looks just right…"

Naruto rolled his eyes and began walking a bit faster as he realized where Sasuke's view was likely to be at that moment.

They arrived at the door and Naruto fumbled with his key unlocking the door.

"Well come on," Sasuke said. "I'm dying to see it!"

After finally unlocking it, Naruto swung the door open so his boss could enter and Sasuke went through the doorway.

"This is quite nice, Naruto," he said as he glanced around and placed Furuba onto the floor, where he immediately ran off and began looking at the new drapes Naruto had put up after Furuba had last been there. The blonde giggled nervously.

"Show me the rest," Sasuke said.

"Well, here is the kitchen," Naruto began, taking Sasuke through the swinging door. "And down this way is the washroom and my sleeping quarters."

"Ahhhhh, your bed chamber," Sasuke said going directly in and sitting down on the bed.

Naruto again laughed nervously as he watched Sasuke bounce up and down a little on the mattress.

"This is quite comfortable," he observed, standing back up a moment later. "You have a very cozy little flat."

"Thanks," Naruto said as they went back out to the living room and sat down. "You were going to tell me about a change in plans?"

"Oh yes!" Sasuke became more animated as he sat down on the sofa opposite from Naruto, who was sitting in one of the chairs. "I was rather bored sitting around the office and decided that I ought to be here to meet Inuzuka when Itachi arrives with him. I think it would be best, don't you?"

"Yes, that would be, I think," Naruto said, becoming relieved at the prospect of having someone else present at Kiba's arrival.

"Also, they won't be arriving until later now," Sasuke said. "Itachi called me from Rome to let me know their departure was being delayed although he didn't elaborate as to why."

"I'm sure it wasn't anything of consequence then," Naruto said.

"Probably not," Sasuke agreed, then added with a smirk "What shall we do while we wait though?"

"Oh, ummm," Naruto stammered. "I'm afraid I'm not sure…"

"It's all right," Sasuke said. "I'm quite content at the moment."

# # #

The time had passed and it had gotten later than even Sasuke had anticipated. Naruto had finally decided that he should make the sauce for the spaghetti so that it would be ready for when Kiba and Itachi arrived as they would likely be quite hungry.

Sasuke had come with him to the kitchen and was sitting at the dining table observing Naruto's culinary skill. He was quite impressed as he was barely able to boil water on his own.

"I had no idea you were so adept at cooking," he said a few minutes later. "It smells like it will be most delicious."

"Thanks," Naruto said. "It should be very good by the time we eat. It's better the longer you let it simmer."

"I see," Sasuke said, then his mobile began ringing, so he answered it.

Naruto listened with pointed curiosity to Sasuke's side of the conversation. After a moment, he was certain he was talking to his brother so he went across the kitchen to stir the tomato sauce again. Sasuke ended the call and placed his phone down on the table. Naruto turned to look in his direction and noticed a pensive look had settled onto the other's face.

"Everything all right?" Naruto asked, causing Sasuke to jump slightly as if he might have forgotten where he was.

"Oh, yes, Naruto," Sasuke said, glancing around, then back to Naruto. "They'll be here in about ten minutes….Have you seen Furuba lately?"

"Ten minutes!" Naruto nearly shouted.

"Why…yes," Sasuke said, distractedly getting up from the table. "Ten minutes."

He suddenly walked out of the kitchen and began calling for his cat. Naruto stared a moment in disbelief before frantically rushing about the kitchen getting out plates, glasses, flatware, and serving dishes. Next, he uncorked the wine and placed the bottle on the table. After the table was complete, he dumped a package of spaghetti into the large pot of water that had been boiling for a while now and stirred it to prevent it from sticking together.

Once it had cooked enough, he drained the pasta in the sink and tossed it with the sauce and placed it in a large serving bowl with a stainless steel pasta fork. He placed it on the table, looked over the place settings and made sure nothing was missing, then felt slightly relieved until he heard a knock upon the front door. He quickly went out into the next room and found Sasuke seemingly paralyzed in one of the chairs with a wide-eyed look upon his face. Naruto looked at him a moment before the knocking repeated itself and he rushed to the door, unlocking it and pulling it back.

"What took you so long?" Itachi asked in irritation. "We've hardly any privacy as it is without standing about in the hallway."

"Oh, sorry," Naruto mumbled as Itachi came inside followed, presumably, by Kiba and then a porter carrying several suitcases. Itachi handed the porter some bills after the luggage had been set down and thanked him for his assistance.

"It's all right, I don't mean to be cross," Itachi apologized. "I've had a rough time of it the last week or so."

Naruto was about to speak again when Itachi spoke first.

"This is Kiba Inuzuka," he said.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Sasuke said, causing Naruto to nearly jump in fright as he hadn't realized Sasuke had come to be standing directly behind him. "I'm Sasuke, Itachi's brother."

Kiba was quite handsome Naruto thought observing him. He was tall, well-built, had brown hair and large brown eyes. Yes, he was definitely attractive in Naruto's opinion.

"And this is Naruto Uzumaki," Itachi said. "He's graciously allowing you to share his flat until we can announce your signing with Uchiha & Sons."

"Naruto will also be your editor," Sasuke added. "You'll find him quite capable."

"MMmmmm," Kiba murmured looking about the small flat. "I didn't realize I would be staying in the slums…"

"Oh, this is Mayfair," Naruto said cheerfully, not sure yet what to make of the writer. "The slums are far from here."

"How peculiar," Kiba remarked. "That there isn't a lift even…"

"Well, it is an old building," Naruto said, but then was cut off by Sasuke, who now seemed unable to tear his eyes from Kiba's form.

"Isn't it?" he said. "I remarked on the same thing when I arrived earlier today."

"Hmmm," Kiba replied.

"Shall we eat, or would you rather discuss further the lift?" Itachi said. "Or rather, the lack of one."

"Let's eat," Naruto said leading the way to the kitchen.

Sasuke and Itachi both immediately sat down at the table, but Kiba hesitated, again looking about the room, this time with what Naruto thought was a look of disdain.

"Are you sure this isn't the slums?" Kiba commented as he finally sat down. "It appears there's not a proper dining room either?"

"I do like a proper dining room," Sasuke said. "I always have."

Naruto began distributing the spaghetti onto plates and placing them before each of his guests. He then poured out wine for them and then took his own place at the table.

"Oh, we're having a nice Chianti," Kiba said lifting the wine glass to his nose. "I suppose we'll also have fava beans…"

"I made spaghetti," Naruto said, now wondering if Kiba was merely exhausted from traveling or if he found the dinner to be unacceptable. The thought flashed through his mind again that Kiba might infer that he was being made fun of by being served pasta, so Naruto quickly added, rather awkwardly, "Oh, you've just come from Italy, haven't you? I hadn't thought of that. Perhaps you've grown tired of pasta…"

Kiba stared at him a moment before lifting a forkful of the pasta to his mouth.

"Naruto even made the sauce," Sasuke added at which Kiba raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"It's delicious, Naruto," Itachi said, then he winked and made a slight nod toward his brother, indicating he wanted Naruto to look in that direction.

He found Sasuke to be completely mesmerized by Kiba, at least that's how it appeared to him. Sasuke was barely able to lift his food to his mouth due to his gaze being riveted to the writer across the table. Naruto felt this could be a bad sign, but then remembered how Sasuke's mind wandered frequently. It was likely he might not even think of Kiba tomorrow, once back at the office.

"The sauce isn't bad," Kiba said after eating a bit more. "It will suffice."

"I know exactly what you mean," Sasuke said to which Itachi rolled his eyes in amusement. "I do like this wine though."

"It seems a bit too dry to me," Kiba said.

"Of course," Sasuke said immediately. "I meant beyond the dryness…"

Naruto rolled his eyes at that one.

Itachi had finished his portion and had been watching his brother in amusement as he finished his own glass of wine. He stood up a few minutes later and thanked Naruto for the excellent meal and for his generosity in sharing his flat.

He was about to leave the kitchen when he looked back and found Sasuke hadn't yet gotten up from the table but was still staring intently at Kiba.

"Come along, Sasuke," Itachi said. "I've many things I want to go over with you before I can finally sleep."

"Yes, of course, Itachi," Sasuke said, as he stood up. "Kiba, it was so nice to meet you. I'm sure we'll be seeing much of each other."

"Lovely," Kiba said and Naruto wondered if he meant that sincerely or sarcastically.

The four went out into the living room where Sasuke and Itachi put their coats on. Sasuke looked again to Kiba, who was sitting on the sofa looking through one of the magazines from the coffee table.

"I'll likely see you tomorrow, Kiba," Sasuke said. "Have a pleasant evening."

"Mmmm, yes," Kiba murmured without looking up.

Sasuke then turned and opened the front door and was about to leave when Itachi stopped him.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked his brother.

"Forgetting?" Sasuke was puzzled.

"Your cat…"

"Oh! Furuba," Sasuke came back inside and picked up his cat, who had been sitting beneath one of the end tables. "How silly of me."

The two brothers then departed and Naruto was now left alone with his guest. He nervously scratched the back of his head and wondered if Kiba was bored.

"I'm going to go clean up the kitchen," he said. "Make yourself at home."

"Such as it is," Kiba commented not looking up from the magazine again.

"If you need anything, just let me know."

"Have you any more wine?"

"Oh, yes, certainly. I'll get you some…"

"Let me look at your selection," Kiba said. "I'm not sure of the one served at dinner, so hopefully there is something else more palatable."

"Ok…" Naruto was still unsure how to take Kiba, but he decided it was likely he was tired afterall from traveling.

He led the way back to the kitchen and to the pantry where Kiba rummaged about inspecting the bottles of wine Naurto had picked up the day before. He finally selected one and brought it out.

"You may open this one," he said.

Naruto retrieved his corkscrew from a drawer and opened the bottle.

"There you are," he said.

"Oughtn't you to pour it as well?" Kiba asked. "Or is one expected to drink from the bottle?"

"Oh…." Naruto was finding it hard to ignore Kiba's comments now, but he thought of how he would most definitely be fired and/or executed if he caused the writer to sign with another publisher. He took a glass from the cupboard and poured out the wine, handing the glass to Kiba.

"Thank you," he said. "I'm most grateful for your effort."

He then picked up the bottle and returned to the living room area, leaving Naruto to clean the kitchen and dwell on Kiba's attitude.

It took him a little over an hour to put away the remaining food and wash the dishes and sweep the floor. Once he was finished he went out to the living room again.

"Oh, you've decided to return," Kiba said. "One would like to sleep at some point. It would be nice to be shown where that will be."

Naruto was now becoming thoroughly annoyed.

"Actually, you're already sitting on your bed," he said to Kiba, who looked back at him.

"What can you mean?"

"I've only one bedroom," Naruto explained. "So in that case, you shall be sleeping on the sofa."

"That's absurd," Kiba said standing up unsteadily at which point Naruto noticed that most of the bottle of wine was gone. "I didn't fly over a thousand kilometers to sleep on someone's sofa in a tattered, tiny flat."

"I'm afraid that's all there is," Naruto said. "We'll need to make the best of it for the time being."

"I don't think you heard me clearly," Kiba said coming up to Naruto so they were only inches apart. "I'm sure you are used to squalid living conditions, but I assure you, I am not."

Naruto boiled over.

"You've done nothing but complain the entire time ever since you arrived!" he shouted. "You're insolent and rude and you've no right to be! You were even rude to Sasuke and Itachi. I think you've behaved loathsomely!"

Upon concluding his outburst, Naruto began to mentally catalogue the personal items he would need to remove from his office the next day after he was fired. That is, of course, if he was still able to walk and breath. An image crossed his mind of Itachi holding a hunting rifle and he shivered. He looked up suddenly at Kiba.

Kiba was staring at him with shock, an odd, fiery glint in his eyes. He suddenly reached out and took hold of Naruto's head, pulling him forward and kissing him violently and urgently.

Shocked, Naruto pulled back and stared at Kiba a moment, his blue eyes wide with astonishment. Without thinking about it, he grabbed ahold of Kiba's shoulders and the two came together, kissing each other frantically again. They began pulling at each other's clothes as they made their way toward the lone bedroom.


	6. Chapter 6

**Part VI**

Naruto awoke the next morning in a fog, both literally and figuratively. The fog in his brain was caused by the little amount sleep he had gotten due to the certain person who was still sleeping on the opposite side of the double bed. The actual fog had settled over the city in a thick blanket, blocking out any trace of the sun.

Naruto, under the mis-impression that it was a regular work day for him, rolled over casually thinking he would check the time on his alarm clock. Instead, he was quite horrified to find a head of thick brown hair just inches from his nose. His eyes widened in alarm and then terror as the events of the past several hours came flooding back to the forefront of his mind. As quickly and as quietly as he could, he made for the opposite edge of the bed in order to flee as fast as possible. At the edge of the bed, he threw aside the comforter, realized he was naked, and fell out of bed onto the floor. He held his hands to his face hoping that he hadn't woken his guest.

After a moment of silence, he ventured forth again, standing up and hurriedly taking a shirt, suit, and tie from his closet and fled to the shower. He emerged within fifteen minutes, peeked into the bedroom, found Kiba still asleep. So he tip-toed down the hall, put his shoes on, and quickly went out the front door, locking it behind him.

Out on the street, he practically ran to the tube station, got on the train, and then suddenly felt ill at the full realization of what had happened. The rest of the train ride to Hammersmith was a study in despair.

# # #

Naruto emerged from the lift at the office looking as if he were dragging a ton of concrete behind him. Hinata looked up in surprise at seeing him, then her look turned to concern. She was about go to him when suddenly Sasuke opened the door to his office and stuck his head out.

"Miss Hyuuga, could you…," he began, then noticed Naruto. "Naruto, what are you doing here?!"

"Oh…ummm, I…" Naruto stalled.

"Where's Kiba? You didn't leave him alone did you?" Sasuke sounded panicky himself now.

"No," Naruto said. "I mean, he was still sleeping…"

"Well what have you come for?" Sasuke inquired.

"I…ummm, I realized I was supposed to meet Hatake this morning to get his new material…" Naruto lied.

"Oh, Naruto," Sasuke said with a chuckle. "You should have telephoned. You know Hatake likely won't show up anyway, and even if he did, I could have taken the material and kept it safe for you."

"Oh, you're probably right," Naruto said.

"Well, anyway, since you're here now, I'd like to discuss something with you. Please come into my office."

He turned and went back inside, leaving the door open for Naruto, who stood a moment with an agonized look upon his face. Finally he moved forward and entered the office, closing the door behind him.

Within, Sasuke was seated back behind his desk and Furuba was lying on one of the two chairs in front of the desk, curled into a ball with his tail resting over his face. Naruto sat down in the unoccupied chair and watched Furuba sleeping, not wishing to look directly at his boss.

"Well, how did things go after Itachi dragged me out last night?" Sasuke asked, his chin propped up on his two hands on the desk.

"Ohhhh…quite well I think. I can't think of anything to complain about anyway," Naruto said, then thought to himself _except my legs hurt like bloody hell this morning_.

"That's excellent to hear!" Sasuke exclaimed with far too much enthusiasm, causing Naruto to inadvertently look up at him and notice a peculiar gleam in his eyes.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"It was so vexing to be hauled off like that," Sasuke continued. "Itachi didn't even have anything of real importance to discuss. Only a bunch of rubbish about numbers, letters, papers, contracts, and who knows what else. I'm not even really sure of anything he said. All I could think about was Kiba…"

"Really?" Naruto said, his unease multiplying with every word Sasuke spoke.

"Yes," Sasuke said dreamily, then suddenly became giddy. "Naruto, you likely won't believe this, but I think Kiba is the one for me."

Wha…wha…what?" Naruto could barely form the word and felt as if he might throw up at any moment.

"Yes, Naruto," Sasuke began nearly rhapsodizing. "I don't know what it was, but instantly I felt that he and I were meant to be together. I can't even describe to you what it was like…"

"But you only just met him…" Naruto really hadn't envisioned his boss's whimsical nature and fantastical thoughts to take this turn in the road. And after his night previous, he was not in any kind of mood to hear about it. He suddenly felt terribly guilty at not being able to show more restraint.

"Oh, I realize that," Sasuke said somewhat dismissively. "One can't help what one's heart sets itself upon however. And I definitely felt that Kiba likely felt the same thing…"

 _I highly doubt he felt anything for you if he could so easily jump into bed with me_ Naruto thought to himself and the let out a nervous, uneasy giggle realizing that Sasuke must never know what had happened.

"Anyway, Itachi has some silly meeting soon, so perhaps you had better get back to our mutual acquaintance," Sasuke said with a pointed wink as he got up from his chair behind the desk and began walking toward the door. Naruto rose to follow him. "And, confidentially Naruto, I hope you will keep all persons with ill intentions away from him. I don't want anything to spoil our first time, if you know what I mean."

They had reached the office door and all Naruto could do was grin uncomfortably as his guilt compounded. Sasuke pulled open the door and ushered Naruto through it.

"See Naruto, Hatake never did show up, did he," Sasuke said. "But I am awfully glad you came by and were here to listen to me. I'll never be able to tell you how much your loyalty means to me."

"Ohhhh," Naruto felt as if he was probably turning green. "Don't give it a second thought."

"Miss Hyuuga," Sasuke said to Hinata. "Itachi should be here soon for a meeting. Please let me know when he arrives."

"Y-yes, certainly, Mr. Sasuke," Hinata said.

At that, Sasuke returned to his office closing the door behind him.

"What is it?!" Hinata whispered urgently to Naruto.

"What time is it?" Naruto asked gloomily.

"It's twenty minutes to eleven," she answered. "Tell me what's wrong. I can tell…"

"I need you to meet me for lunch," Naruto said. "But don't tell anyone you're meeting me. Hinata, something awful has happened…"

"Oh no….Kiba's dead, isn't he?"

"What? No…" Naruto said. "It's much worse. Meet me at that little place around the corner as soon as you can. I'm going there right now."

"All right," Hinata replied as the telephone on her desk began ringing shrilly. She watched Naruto go into the lift and picked up the telephone to answer it.

"Uchiha and Sons, Executive Level," she said then listened a moment. "Oh dear, yes, certainly."

She put the phone down setting the call on hold and rushed around her desk, knocked on Sasuke's office door and pushed the door open. Sasuke was standing on the far wall, looking out at the gray day. He turned at the sound of the door opening.

"Mr. Sasuke," Hinata said. "Mr. Itachi is on Line 6 for you!"

"Line 6!" Sasuke exclaimed. "That's the crisis line!"

# # #

Hinata had returned to her desk once Sasuke had picked up the call from Itachi. A few minutes later, he emerged from his office clutching Furuba.

"I'll possibly be out the rest of the day," he said as he rushed past and onto the lift.

After waiting a good twenty minutes, she was sure he would not be returning and she put on her coat and picked up her umbrella and went to meet Naruto, who was now sitting across from her at a little delicatessen they would often go to at lunchtime.

"So, you see," Naruto said. "I'm certain to be fired…"

"Naruto, don't be so hard on yourself," Hinata said. "It was just a simple biological need…and while I must confess it is the last thing I would have expected, I don't see, really, what the big deal is. Afterall, two adults consenting to such a thing is the most normal thing in the world."

"What about Sasuke's confession though?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, I don't think it amounts to anything. You know how he gets. I'm sure he'll find someone new by this weekend. I think you forget how easily distracted he is."

"That is true enough," Naruto said, his spirits beginning to lift a little. "Maybe I just over-reacted."

"Yes, I'm sure that's all it was."

"I guess I should probably go back and ask Kiba to keep this to himself."

"I'm sure he will agree to," Hinata said with a chuckle. "After his indiscretion in Italy, I'd guess the last thing he would want to discuss with the Uchihas is his personal life."

"That's right," Naruto said. "I'm sure he'll be quite reasonable."

"Now, I'm literally dying to know…" Hinata said. "How was it?!"

Naruto grinned widely for a moment before answering.

"Hinata," he began, then paused. "It was….the best ever…"

"What?!" Hinata nearly screamed.

"I'm serious," Naruto said. "It went on for hours and this morning, my legs would barely move because they hurt so bad…"

"You don't say…" Hinata gasped.

"I do say!" Naruto said. "But it's best to not dwell on it I supposed. I guess I had better get back and clear things up."

"All right," Hinata said. "And I should get back to the office."

# # #

Naruto arrived back at his flat and found Kiba to be sitting on the sofa looking through some reference books that were spread out on the coffee table. He didn't look up when Naruto came in through the doorway.

"Hey…" Naruto said weakly. "I had to run to the office for a short meeting."

"Oh, you've managed to return?" Kiba asked without looking up still.

"Yeah," Naruto laughed, trying to make light of the situation. "Look, Kiba, about what happened last night…"

"Did something happen?" Kiba asked. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Well, yeah, that's what I mean, let's just say nothing happened," Naruto said, thinking Kiba was meaning to tell him he would pretend their involvement hadn't ever happened.

"I still have no idea what it is you are talking about," Kiba said. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised though. You often seem to talk in riddles."

"You can keep your luggage in the bedroom if you'd like," Naruto said, noticing the three suitcases that had arrived with Kiba were now lined up near the front door.

"I think not," Kiba said. "I shan't be staying here any longer. I've already telephoned Itachi and he's sending a car to pick me up and take me north, where I'll be doing research for my next book."

"What?!" Naruto nearly shouted. "You aren't staying?"

"No, you fool," Kiba said, finally looking up. "I've just told you I have research to do."

"How in depth is this research and what is your subject?" Naruto asked. "I didn't know you were this far committed to your next project. If you have anything written, please send it to me to read through, just preliminarily for now of course. Since I'll be your editor…"

"I'm not sure yet who will be my editor," Kiba interrupted.

"Sasuke told me I would be your editor," Naruto protested. "Wait…does Sasuke know you aren't staying here?"

"Sasuke doesn't seem fit to tie his own shoes," Kiba said.

"That's isn't a nice thing to say about him," Naruto said, becoming slightly angry. "You hardly know him."

"He takes a feline with him wherever he goes," Kiba said. "Felines…really!"

There was a knock upon the door and Kiba got up to open it. It was the driver Itachi sent. Kiba indicated to him that he should take the three suitcases down. He then picked up the reference books and began to leave as well.

"Where are you even going?" Naruto demanded.

"Scotland," Kiba answered absently. "For research."

"How will I be able to contact you? Where will you be staying?"

"Itachi has all the necessary information," Kiba said as he left the apartment, pulling the door shut behind him.

Naruto stood staring at the door for several moments, still angry but trying to calm down. A few minutes later, his mobile started ringing and he answered it.

"Hello, Naruto," Itachi said. "Would you be available to come into the office for a special meeting right away?"

"Oh, yes, certainly," Naruto said. "I'll leave straightaway."

"Thanks," Itachi replied and the call ended.

Naruto once again began to panic thinking that Kiba might have told Itachi what had happened during the course of the past night and that now Itachi was summoning him in to execute him.

As he sat on the train back to Hammersmith, he decided to text Hinata to see if he could get any kind of information from her.

 **Hey Hinata, whats goingon? Itachi just called and told me to come back for a special meeting**

After a few agonizing moments of silence, her reply finally arrived.

 **Nothing really too out of the ordinary. The only thing I know is from an email I. sent to S. earlier today. It appears K. is going to Scotland to do research and I. is concerned becuse K. has no signed contract yet. That must be what the meeting will be about. S. went out for a while but soon returned with I.**

Tension suddenly released from Naruto's body and he slumped back against the seat.

 **Ahhh, that makes sense. Kiba did leave just a while ago in a car Itachi sent for him.**

 **He left already? That seems sudden. Are you on your way?**

 **Yes, be there soon.**

When he arrived, he barely had time to take off his coat before Itachi came from his office.

"Ah, Naruto, thank you for coming in at such short notice. Please join me and Sasuke in the board room once you've deposited your things in your office."

The elder Uchiha brother then disappeared into the board room. Naruto turned to Hinata.

"No one seems enraged," Naruto commented. "I guess that's a good sign."

"Silly," Hinata said as she took his coat and hung it on the visitor's coat tree. "No one's going to bite you. Go on. Sasuke is already in there."

Naruto did and took a seat at the large, oval, mahogany conference table. Itachi was sitting at the head of the table and Sasuke was to his left, looking extremely bored. Furuba was asleep in the middle of the large table.

"Right, now that we're all here," Itachi began, "it appears that Inuzuka is rather more temperamental than we had bargained for. However, we've had several egomaniac writers in the past, and this one will be no more and no less than any of those have been."

"I think I ought to meet Kiba and speak with him…" Sasuke began but was cut short by his brother.

"When the time is right, I will travel to Inuzuka and have him sign the contract. Until then, any other contact should be kept to a minimum. Anything that happens now is freelance work until the contract is signed. And I dare say I needn't mention it, but I will anyway. I do not want Father to hear a word about this."

"Excuse me," Naruto spoke up. "But all Kiba told me was that he was going to Scotland to do research and that who would be acting as his editor was not settled yet. Is there anything else I should know?"

"You most decidedly will be Inuzuka's editor," Itachi said. "And it is true that he is going to Scotland to do research. It was a fortunately coincidence that our Grandfather purchased a castle near Lochinver, which is where Inuzuka will be staying. The book he is writing is regarding James IV and his mistress, Margaret Drummond, so it all works out quite well."

"I see," Naruto said. "Well, please let me know if there is anything I can do in the meantime while you are getting the contract finalized."

"Yes, thank you, Naruto. I will do that," Itachi answered and then turned to his brother. "Sasuke, I really do need you to go down to the Legal Department and get that contract completed. If at all possible, I'd like to see a draft copy before I leave for the day."

"Can't Miss Hyuuga do that?" Sasuke asked a bit sulkily.

"No, she can't," Itachi insisted. "Now run along and I'll take you out for a steak dinner tonight."

Sasuke got up and gave his brother a sarcastic look.

Once he was gone, Itachi leaned in toward his employee.

"Now, Naruto," he said gravely. "Let's you and I have a little chat…"


End file.
